When you ask a person if he/she speaks English as a first language,
do you say ' are you English ?'
or ' are you in English?'
2007-12-23 14:16:23 · 4 answers · asked by xiangshei 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
You say neither. You say, "Do you speak English?" or "Is English your native language?"
"Are you English?" = Are you from England?
"Are you in English?" = Are in you an English class?
2007-12-23 14:19:26 · answer #1 · answered by Belie 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the first answer, but I just wanted to add that you should be careful how u ask that question. I've been speaking english since I've been able to talk, so eventhough I wasn't born in America, that doesn't mean english is my second language, so when someone ask me that question, I always respond by saying something like"i speak better english thaan your english teacher, so waht do u think?"
2007-12-23 22:31:24 · answer #2 · answered by God's favorite 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would ask, "Is English your native language?"
English is spoken in many countries outside of England, so you would only ask whether a person was English if you noticed the person spoke with an English accent.
2007-12-23 22:20:39 · answer #3 · answered by Chantal G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I'd say is English your first language? They could be Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, or from the USA>
2007-12-23 22:23:47 · answer #4 · answered by Ace Librarian 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋